Key facts
- Taiwan's military has reinstated "anti-communist" patriotic classes for graduates after a 25-year gap.
- The classes were restored due to rising military and infiltration threats from China.
- Officials from multiple government departments will lecture graduates on national security.
- Taiwan is currently tracking a record number of Chinese military and Coast Guard ships.
- China recently launched a new Coast Guard patrol off Taiwan's east coast.
Taiwan's military has reinstated "anti-communist" patriotic classes for its graduates, marking the first time in a quarter-century that such education has been formally resumed. The defense ministry stated on Sunday that the decision was driven by an increasing threat from China, which views Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force.
The classes, which were a common feature during the Cold War but formally ended in 2002, aim to ensure graduates clearly understand national security threats and their military mission. Officials from departments including the Mainland Affairs Council, National Security Council, Ministry of Justice, and Academia Sinica will deliver lectures to establish a clear awareness of "friend and foe" among the graduates.
This move comes as China's military activity around Taiwan intensifies. Joseph Wu, secretary-general of Taiwan's National Security Council, reported on Saturday that Taiwan was tracking a record number of over 110 Chinese military and Coast Guard ships operating along the first island chain. Wu described this as a clear sign of China's expansionism. On Saturday, China's Coast Guard also initiated a new patrol off Taiwan's east coast, an action that Taipei rejected, asserting Beijing has no jurisdiction in those waters.